


above the morning lark

by blackkat



Series: hawks 'verse [2]
Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, First Dates, First Kiss, Humor, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-11
Updated: 2020-07-11
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:27:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25201675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackkat/pseuds/blackkat
Summary: “….Well,” Rex says, eyeing the slope of the mountain, and is glad he brought his hiking boots after all. “No wonder you're so in shape.”
Relationships: Jon Antilles/CT-7567 | Rex
Series: hawks 'verse [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1825195
Comments: 20
Kudos: 587





	above the morning lark

**Author's Note:**

> For the prompt: Jon's idea of a romantic date-like activity is taking Rex to see some very hard to reach nests? It's a good thing Rex likes hiking and he brought lunch.

“….Well,” Rex says, eyeing the slope of the mountain, and is glad he brought his hiking boots after all. “No wonder you're so in shape.”

Jon, seated on a fallen log, gives him a blank look, like he’s completely unfamiliar with normal human limits and this is just another easy day-hike for him. It probably is. Rex feels a flicker of impossible fondness rise in his chest and has to squash it before he says something dumb. The fact that Jon even invited him out to the reserve was astonishing enough as it was; Rex was mostly sort of planning to keep coaxing him down to the store with his favorite chocolates and some quiet companionship, but Jon's quiet offer to show him where he worked was a hopeful sign.

“The jaig hawk nests aren’t at the top,” Jon says after a moment, slow, testing, like he’s trying to parse out any of Rex's objections. “We don’t have to go all the way up.”

“Even if we do, that’s fine,” Rex says, unbothered, and grins at him. “As long as you're willing to carry the food at least half the way. I'm only a pack mule part-time.”

Jon snorts, and the flicker of quiet humor crossing his face feels like more of a victory than making most people collapse in laughter. Rex allows himself to feel quietly smug, and offers Jon a hand as he finishes lacing up his hiking boots. Jon pauses, like this is a surprise too, and then carefully, deliberately slides his fingers over Rex's.

It’s possible Rex has had _far_ too many indecent thoughts about those long fingers and that careful grip, but—it’s also supremely satisfying that Jon's willing to touch him. He doesn’t even touch Obi-Wan, and it sounds like they’ve been friends for years.

He pulls Jon to his feet with an easy tug, then says, “You're going to have to be patient with me. The most hiking I've done this year is the boardwalk trail by the river.”

“We got here early enough to take our time heading up,” Jon says, and takes off his jacket. Rex tries not to eye him too obviously as he tosses it into his rattlely old jeep, but—he’s well-muscled and sun-browned, and Rex likes looking. Fives can mock him for being into mountain men all he wants, but Rex is perfectly fine with his own taste.

“Oh good,” he says, amused at himself more than anything. “I’ll have to get back into the habit. I forgot how pretty it was up here.”

Jon smiles a little, leading the way to a narrow footpath that cuts into the trees. It’s more deer-path than trail head, but Jon takes it with the confidence of someone who knows every inch of these mountains, and Rex follows him gamely.

“It is pretty,” Jon says quietly. “There's an observation tower near the top where I usually stay. I can show you another time, if you’d like.”

Rex isn't sure if that’s the equivalent of _want to come over to my place_ , but it probably is. “I’d like that,” he says, pleased, and—even if it isn't, that’s more time to spend with Jon. Rex likes hiking, and he likes the company, so there's no loss either way.

When Jon made the invitation, Obi-Wan looked politely horrified, and made _abort abort_ gestures at Rex behind Jon's back, so clearly he’s gone on hikes with Jon before and been less than impressed with Jon's definition of “a bit of a climb” and “an easy day-trip”, but. Rex definitely doesn’t feel a little smug that he’s completely fine with it.

The touch of relief on Jon's face is warming, and he smiles back, quick and a little pleased, and lifts his eyes to the sky between the trees.

“There,” he says, pointing upwards at a speck wheeling in the sky, and Rex looks too, shading his eyes against the morning sun. He has no idea how Jon knows it’s a jaig hawk and not any other bird, but a lifetime studying them probably helps.

“You said there were almost twenty up here, right?” he asks, watching as it dips behind the shoulder of the mountain and vanishes from sight.

Jon nods. “Jaig hawks are communal,” he says. “In ways most predator birds aren’t. Especially raptors. Most colonies are only four or five hawks at a time, but this is one of the biggest groups I've ever found.”

“They used to be common around here, from what I've heard. Maybe they're coming back.” Rex picks his way over a patch of treacherous stones, then glances up to find Jon watching him thoughtfully. Able to read the question in his gaze, Rex shrugs. “My family’s Mandalorian. Jaig hawks are honored. Jango—my father has a lot of stories about finding their feathers as a kid. Our clan’s symbol’s a mythosaur skull, but—jaig hawks are everywhere in the imagery.”

Jon smiles, just a little. “Jaster Mereel helped me find old references to sightings in the Mandalorian stories of the area,” he says. “That’s how I found this colony.”

The fact that his grandfather knew someone like Jon existed but never said anything is mildly irritating. Then again, Rex should probably be grateful; if Wolffe or Doom had caught wind of him, they’d definitely have tried to pick him up, and Rex might not be Cody levels of stupid jealousy, but he can still be glad he met Jon first.

“Old bastard was probably delighted to have someone to listen to all his legends,” he says fondly, and Jon snorts quietly.

“He rewrote half the laws in the country regarding clan rights, and probably more than half of the conservation laws,” he says, and takes a left up a narrow trail that curls around the edge of a gorge. “If anyone deserves to have someone listen to him, it’s Jaster.”

“You didn’t grow up hearing the same stories thirty thousand times,” Rex says, pained, and Jon laughs a little, turning to offer him a hand up a particularly steep bit. Rex takes it, clasping his wrist, and lets himself be pulled up. Takes advantage of it, too, stepping right into Jon's space as he catches his balance, and is entirely pleased when Jon doesn’t move away. Just stills, watching Rex with something uncertain on his face.

“Thanks,” Rex says, and almost wants to lean in and kiss him, but—not yet. Squeezes Jon's wrist lightly instead, then lets go, and hopes it’s not just his imagination that Jon's gaze lingers on his face for a moment longer than necessary.

“Thank you for coming,” Jon says, soft, and when Rex glances back at him, he looks away, ducking his head a little. “I know—Knol said hiking isn't. Isn't a good date. Not the way I do it.”

A _date_. This is definitely a date, then. Rex had been hoping it was, or at least the precursor to one, and he grins, stepping closer again.

“Hey,” he says. “It works for me. I haven’t been hiking in a while, and I like the company.”

Jon flushes faintly, eyes still fixed on the trees on the other side of them. “If it’s…too much. We can stop anywhere.”

“Well,” Rex says judiciously. “We’ll have to stop somewhere to eat lunch. I had to fistfight Cody for the last of Waxer’s mint and milk chocolate cookies, and I wouldn’t want them to melt before we got to eat them.” He reaches out, and it’s not practical to hold hands the whole time they're hiking, but—he still twists his fingers through Jon's and holds on.

He can’t quite read the look Jon gives him, but there’s gratitude in it, something warm and relieved. “Thank you,” Jon says quietly, and Rex smiles. Makes a spur of the moment decision, because for once Rex is absolutely sure that the rewards outweigh the risks, and takes a breath.

“Can I kiss you?” he asks.

Jon's eyes widen, and his face flushes. For a moment he can't seem to find a response, but Rex waits, heart in his throat just a little, and it’s not rejection on Jon's face or he might be more alarmed. This is a _date_. Jon said that, and Jon invited him, and even if he says no now, maybe at some point—

“Yes,” Jon says, hoarse. “Please.”

Rex's heartbeat is just a little too fast as he grins, that quiet _please_ like a firework going off in his chest. He pulls Jon closer by their tangled hands, and he’s standing uphill, which gives him the perfect advantage to lean in, just enough height to gently, carefully fit their mouths together, awkward with newness. The soft sound Jon makes is surprise and relief and pleasure, and his free hand comes up, sliding over Rex's hip as Rex tilts his head, gets a hand in tangled dark hair and deepens the kiss cautiously.

He’s wanted to do this since that first day, sitting with Jon out on the picnic table, watching his hands move as he talked about his hawks. Hoped today would end like this, with a kiss or a promise of more dates, and—this is good.

This is very, very good, Rex thinks, pulling Jon closer, and Jon comes. Jon hangs on to him like he doesn’t ever want to let go, and Rex thinks of this whole hike interspersed with stolen, easy kisses in the spring sun and doesn’t mind at all.


End file.
